Ranked: America’s Most Dangerous Jobs and Their Pay
Key Takeaways
- Logging workers had the highest fatality rate among the selected occupations, at 110.4 deaths per 100,000 workers in 2024.
- Higher risk did not consistently mean higher pay: logging workers had listed median annual earnings of $49,700, compared with $210,000 for pilots and flight engineers.
- Truck and delivery drivers recorded 950 deaths in 2024, far more than any other occupation in the dataset.
America’s most dangerous jobs do not necessarily come with the biggest paychecks. Among the occupations shown, logging workers face the highest fatality rate, while pilots and flight engineers have the highest listed earnings.
This infographic compares workplace death rates and total fatalities in 2024 with median annual earnings labeled 2025.
The dataset cites the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, drawing on its Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and Employment Projections. It ranks 20 selected occupations by deaths per 100,000 workers, alongside total fatalities and median annual earnings. Some occupations are grouped into broader categories. Earnings are unavailable for fishers and hunters.
Logging Workers Face the Highest Fatality Rate
Logging workers recorded 110.4 deaths per 100,000 workers in 2024, the highest rate among the occupations shown. Fishers and hunters followed at 88.8, while roofers ranked third at 48.7.
| Rank | Occupation | Deaths Per 100K Workers | Deaths (2024) | Median Earnings (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Logging workers | 110.4 | 51 | $49.7K |
| 2 | Fishers and hunters | 88.8 | 24 | N/A |
| 3 | Roofers | 48.7 | 104 | $55.4K |
| 4 | Iron and steelworkers | 37.8 | 14 | $62.8K |
| 5 | Waste collectors | 37.4 | 36 | $49.7K |
| 6 | Pilots and flight engineers | 36.7 | 73 | $210.0K |
| 7 | Construction helpers | 35.8 | 18 | $43.3K |
| 8 | Underground miners | 35.6 | 12 | $66.7K |
| 9 | Truck and delivery drivers | 25.7 | 950 | $50.4K |
| 10 | Groundskeepers | 20.9 | 239 | $40.1K |
| 11 | Farmers and ranchers | 19.4 | 175 | $89.9K |
| 12 | Farmworkers | 19.0 | 147 | $35.9K |
| 13 | Construction workers | 15.8 | 334 | $47.1K |
| 14 | Power-line workers | 13.8 | 21 | $95.3K |
| 15 | Mechanic supervisors | 13.1 | 38 | $79.9K |
| 16 | Construction and mining supervisors | 12.8 | 105 | $79.9K |
| 17 | Landscaping supervisors | 12.3 | 33 | $58.4K |
| 18 | Heavy equipment operators | 11.7 | 49 | $59.6K |
| 19 | Telecom line workers | 11.5 | 15 | $74.3K |
| 20 | Maintenance workers | 10.8 | 76 | $49.6K |
In total, 51 logging workers lost their lives on the job in 2024. Their fatality rate was more than twice that of roofers.
Iron and steelworkers and waste collectors rounded out the top five, with similar rates of 37.8 and 37.4 deaths per 100,000 workers.
Truck and Delivery Drivers Record the Most Deaths
Truck and delivery drivers recorded 950 deaths in 2024, far more than any other occupation in the dataset. Yet their fatality rate of 25.7 placed them ninth, below several occupations with much smaller death tolls.
Construction workers and groundskeepers had the next-highest totals, with 334 and 239 deaths, respectively, despite ranking 13th and 10th by fatality rate.
Across all occupations, there were 5,070 fatal workplace injuries in the U.S. in 2024, down 4% from 5,283 in 2023. That translates to roughly one worker dying every 104 minutes from a work-related injury, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Transportation incidents were the leading cause of workplace deaths in the U.S. in 2024, accounting for 1,937 fatalities, or 38.2% of the national total. Roadway incidents involving motorized vehicles alone claimed 1,146 lives
Higher Risk Does Not Always Mean Higher Pay
Pilots and flight engineers had listed median annual earnings of $210,000, more than four times the $49,700 reported for logging workers. Yet their fatality rate of 36.7 deaths per 100,000 workers was roughly one-third of logging’s rate.
Power-line workers also combined relatively high earnings of $95,300 with a lower fatality rate of 13.8, ranking 14th among the selected occupations.
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